Secret Santa
by AuraLily
Summary: Lilly gets a little romance for Christmas.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. If I did, I wouldn't be as broke as I am.

A/N: Well, I was all set to write something with all kinds of drama and angst, then I got some very good news. So instead, I give you my first attempt at happy Christmas fluff. I hope you all enjoy and, let me just say, reviews will give me a very merry Christmas (hint, hint...)

_Day One, December 19_

When Lilly heard the distinctive sound of John Stillman clearing his throat, she was more than happy for any excuse that gave her even a moments break from the case that she and Scotty were currently laboring over. While it had seemed promising enough in the beginning, all of their leads had quickly dried up and they'd been running into nothing but dead ends ever since. The constant frustration had begun to wear on her nerves and any distraction was a blessed relief.

"I need everyone's attention."

Dropping her pen, Lilly leaned back in her chair, the hurried squeaks and shuffles that rose up around her indicating that the rest of the Philly PD's homicide division was following suit. When all eyes were turned expectantly in Stillman's direction, he raised the object that had, to this point, been concealed behind his back. Once that mystery was revealed, there was no need for further comment. Everyone knew what was coming, but Stillman was having too much fun to let them go that easily.

"Well, boys and girls, it's that time of year again." He raised the black hat a little higher, giving it a shake so that everyone could hear the slight rustle of the slips of paper that it contained. "Gather around for the Secret Santa drawing."

Lilly didn't bother trying to hide the slow smile that spread across her face at the good natured groans that followed Stillman's announcement. Like First Thursdays, over the years Secret Santa had become a beloved institution within the department. No matter how much some of them complained, it was a tradition that they all looked forward to. It never failed to amuse Lilly how, once a year, all of these tough, jaded detectives, herself included, thrilled at the chance to behave like children.

"Alright, we all know the rules. Everybody draws a name and you have from now until the Christmas party on Friday to deliver. Also, after last years incidents, I was asked to remind everyone that gifts that are of a sexual nature or, god forbid, alive are not appropriate. You know who you are, and this year I will be watching."

Lilly just barely repressed the laughter that threatened to spill over when she saw several of the men trying to slink unseen to the back of the group, desperate to avoid Stillman's evil eye and failing miserably.

When it was finally her turn to pick from the hat, Lilly couldn't resist such a perfect opportunity to pick at Stillman. "Gosh, boss, it looks like you've got your naughty list all written out and it's not even Christmas Eve yet."

"Yeah, but it's never too late for me to add another name so you'd better watch your step if you don't want to end up with a stocking full of coal." He gave her an indulgent smile before moving on to finish distributing his names to the rest of the office.

Before she had a chance to even pick up her pen, much less return to the never ending files that covered her desk, Lilly was interrupted again, this time by Vera's grumbling and Jefferies soft laughter. Still reluctant to return to the work that awaited her, she turned to find Vera staring at the slip of paper in his hand, an expression of intense brooding marring his features.

"What's wrong, Vera? You pick your own name?"

He shook his head, still glaring at the offending paper as indignation replaced brooding. "I wish. At least then I'd know what to buy. I'd be happy just to know who the hell I'm buying for. I've never heard of this guy before in my life. How come I'm the one that always gets stuck?"

"Just lucky, I guess." Jefferies took the slip of paper, glancing at the name before shaking his head and passing it off to Lilly. "I'm stumped. Anyone you know, Lil?"

She, too, stared at the name, trying to match a face to it and coming up empty. "You got me. You'll figure it out, though. After all, you are a detective."

Vera accepted the name back, hope flaring briefly in his eyes. "I don't suppose either of you would be willing to trade? Will?"

"No."

"Come on, Lilly. You know you want to help me out."

She froze, frantically searching for an excuse to avoid getting stuck shopping for the phantom detective. In most situations Lilly would have no problem saying no, but puppy dog eyes from Vera were a particular weakness of hers. If she were to be completely honest with herself, she knew that she had a hard time denying anything to the group of men that she'd come to view as her surrogate family. When Scotty appeared at her side, notebook in hand, she could have kissed his feet for inadvertently saving her from herself.

He carried on, unaware of the hero status he'd just gained in Lilly's eyes. "Hey, Lil. I finally got a lead on our missing witness. You wanna go talk to her before she disappears again?"

As she gathered her things and pulled on her coat, the look she gave Vera was one of sympathy and regret. But in her heart, Lilly rejoiced.

Whatever glee she'd felt in avoiding Vera's request had quickly dissipated under the weight of the rest of her day. She and Scotty had driven for close to an hour in order to interview a witness that had been unable to add anything to their case. Then, just to add insult to injury, the uselessness of their trip had been highlighted by a cold, steady rain that began minutes after they pulled out of the parking lot.

The final straw for Lilly, though, came in the form of the secretary that ambushed her in the lobby of their building before she could escape back to the office. Apparently, someone had had the brilliant idea that, as the only female homicide detective, she might be interested in becoming a member of the Christmas party decorating committee. This time she had no problem saying no but, by the time she'd finally convinced the woman that she actually meant it, Scotty had already returned his notes to the office and was leaving for the day. If looks could kill, he would have dropped in his steps when he grinned at her as he crossed the lobby on his way out.

Finally prying herself free, Lilly wanted nothing more than to collect her things and go home for the evening. As she went to toss her notebook down on her desk, she paused when she saw the gaily wrapped package that lay there. Lilly could feel a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It looked as though her Secret Santa had been busy while she'd been away.

Maybe her day wouldn't be all bad after all.

Later that evening, Lilly sat in the glow of the lights from her Christmas tree, her gaze trained on the package that sat in the center of her coffee table. Since she'd arrived home from work she'd been trying to talk herself into waiting to open her Secret Santa gift until Christmas. Unfortunately, curiosity seemed to be winning out over willpower.

Decision finally made, Lilly picked up the box, running her fingers lightly over the seams until she found the perfect spot to begin unwrapping. As the paper slid away, she could have sworn she felt her heart skip a beat. Anyone with a dedicated sweet tooth, such as Lilly herself had, would recognize the distinctive gold box that she'd just uncovered and the expensive chocolates that it contained.

Picking up the card that had been attached, Lilly was ready to end the mystery of who her Secret Santa had been. Her name printed in block letters on the envelope gave nothing away and, when she read the message that had been typed inside, Lilly could feel the heat of a blush rising into her cheeks. She wasn't entirely certain what something like this meant, as she'd never been in this sort of position before, but the very idea that it was happening at all made her a little nervous and, just maybe, a little excited, too.

Selecting a single chocolate from the box, she took a moment to calm her nerves by savoring the smooth, rich sweetness as it melted on her tongue before rereading the surprising message that the card contained.

_Lilly,_

_This sweetness this box contains is a pale shadow in comparison to your own._

_You deserve this, and so much more._

Something was telling her that, this year, things weren't going to be as simple as she'd thought, because Lilly's Secret Santa was looking more and more like a secret admirer.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Anyone that's interested in finding out what song it is that I'm referring to in this chapter can check on my profile page. It'll be in the list of songs that have inspired some of the stories that I've written.

_Day Two, December 20_

As she drove to work the next morning, Lilly was still turning over in her mind the matter of the mysterious gift and, more specifically, the card that she'd received the day before. Upon further inspection, she'd found that the card had been computer generated rather than bought and had yielded no clues beyond the carefully rendered block letters that spelled out her name. Short of having the whole thing dusted for fingerprints, an idea she'd considered and rejected after she imagined trying to explain to the boys why she was having her mail processed for evidence, she was no closer to discovering the identity of her Secret Santa than she'd been when she first began.

Quite frankly, the whole thing was slowly driving her insane. She could speculate as to who it might be, who she hoped it might be, though, for her own peace of mind, she tried not to think too long or hard in that direction, but it got her no closer to the truth. Lilly knew that, until whoever it was decided to reveal themselves, she would continue to obsess over the situation.

When Lilly finally reached her desk, she was both surprised and delighted to find another package awaiting her arrival. This gift, easily twice as large as the first, was beautifully wrapped in silver foil imprinted with white snowflakes. She casually scanned the room, hoping to catch someone paying undo attention to her arrival, but everyone seemed to be occupied with their own work. It was a bit of a let down, but she still held out some hope of finding a clue. Judging by the coat draped over his chair and the papers scattered over his desk, Scotty had already made it into the office. If she was lucky, he might be able to tell her if he'd seen anyone around her desk.

This time, Lilly didn't even consider waiting to open the present. She scooped it up, carrying it into one of the interrogation rooms and closing the door behind her. While it was still more public than she'd like, the interrogation room was as close to privacy as she was going to get until she got home. Settling in at the table, she began peeling back the paper, this time revealing a plain brown box rather than the impressive gold of the previous day.

Lifting the lid, she found two small packages, both as beautifully wrapped as the first, but this time there was no card. In the first box was a CD of Christmas music. As she read the list of titles on the back of the case, Lilly noticed a tiny sticker of a gold star placed next to one of the songs. While she recognized the artist, she'd never heard of the song before. Apparently, her admirer had decided to get a little more creative as to how he delivered his message. Setting the CD aside to listen to later, she began opening the second box.

Lilly's breath caught in her throat. There, nestled in the folds of tissue paper, lay the most beautiful ornament that she had ever laid eyes on. The angel's face was porcelain perfection, it's delicate features perfectly rendered. It's feathered wings dripped with crystals that caught the light and glowed with an inner fire and the pale pink silk of the little angel's gown was shot through with gold embroidery.

Tears burned behind Lilly's eyes and she took a deep calming breath to regain control of her emotions. Whoever was sending her these gifts knew her better than she'd ever imagined. They'd have to in order to realize the special affection that she held for the holiday. Very few people knew how much Lilly loved Christmas and everything that went along with celebrating the traditions of the season.

Her Christmas tree had been up and decorated since the day after Thanksgiving and she'd completely decorated her home by the next week. She'd spent the months before hand searching for the perfect gifts for Stillman, Vera, Jefferies, and Scotty, along with a variety of smaller gifts for numerous friends and acquaintances.

She wasn't certain where her feelings for Christmas had come from, but she knew that family had nothing to do with her love of the holiday. As a child, Christmas in the Rush house had been largely ignored and, on those rare occasions that her mother actually remembered what time of the year it was, their celebrations had been rather sparse and sad. Nothing like the traditions Lilly had created for herself in the intervening years. Since she had no real family, every year Lilly spent Christmas day helping out at a shelter for battered women and children.

It bothered her that someone knew her well enough to know her dirty little secret but she still had no idea who that person might be. She could honestly think of no one that had ever paid enough attention to her to learn all of her little likes and dislikes. Before she could contemplate it any further, her train of though was interrupted by the door swinging open.

Scotty appeared, a cup from the near by coffee shop in each hand. "Vera told me you disappeared in here. I figured since we've got a full day of tracking down ghosts ahead of us I'd get us some real coffee." He handed one cup to her and took a sip from the other. "I hope it's okay I got you your usual. A mocha with whipped cream, cinnamon, and chocolate shavings."

"It's perfect." Lilly took a deep drink, the heat going a long way towards calming her still rattled emotions. More and more lately it seemed that Scotty always knew exactly what she needed. "Now I'm ready to get to work."

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Lilly had played the song as soon as she got home, barely taking the time to remove her coat and boots before turning on her stereo and sliding in the disc. By the end of the song, the tears that she had fought so hard to suppress earlier in the day were flowing freely down her cheeks, the force of the emotion conveyed by the haunting lyrics stunning in it's impact. The song was beautiful and heartbreaking and it scared Lilly to death.

She couldn't imagine that anyone actually felt that way about her, cared that deeply for her. But that wasn't what scared Lilly the most. What truly terrified her was the fact that she was beginning to have feelings of her own and she couldn't even begin to comprehend that fact. Lilly Rush didn't fall for anyone, especially when she wasn't certain who she was falling for to begin with.


	3. Chapter 3

_Day Three, December 21_

Before leaving the house, Lilly paused for a moment, her gaze once again locked on the little angel that had been given pride of place at the top of her tree. The warm, fuzzy feeling that she got every time she looked at it was something tat she had never experienced before and, quite honestly, hadn't believed would ever happen to her. While she could still feel faint traces of the fear that had overwhelmed her the previous evening, they were easily ignored in favor of the excitement that rose when she thought about what she might discover when she got to work.

It seemed like an eternity before she reached the police department, her distraction having caused her to miss her exit on the highway for the first time in her career. Lilly flew through the lobby, barely acknowledging the various greetings that were called out to her as she passed, her mind already in the office. Never before had waiting for an elevator been so torturous.

Finally having made it to her destination, Lilly headed straight for her desk, ignoring anyone who might have been trying to catch her attention. When she reached her desk, she felt her heart plummet. There was nothing there. Everything was as she'd left it the night before, notebooks and files scattered over the surface, stray pens and pencils left where she'd dropped them. All was where it should have been, but there was nothing from her secret admirer.

Lilly felt as though all of the energy left the body in a sudden rush, leaving her tired and drained even though she'd just begun her day. By now she should have known better than to get her hopes up, to trust that someone she didn't know wouldn't let her down. Lilly's entire life had prepared her for disappointment but, somehow, she'd forgotten just how great the pain could be. It was a lesson that she wouldn't soon forget.

For the first time that week, Scotty was running late, wandering into the office as Lilly stood with her eyes still locked on the top of her desk. He was oblivious for a moment, preoccupied with the task of peeling away the multiple layers of winter gear that he was wearing. It didn't take long, though, for him to notice the unnatural pallor that had come over her already pale face.

"Is something wrong, Lil? You feeling alright?"

Lilly swallowed hard, fighting to speak past the lump in her throat. " I'm fine, Scotty. Just a little tired. Now remind me, where did we leave off yesterday?"

She worked steadily through the day, throwing herself into the comforting routine of the investigation, following leads and filling out paperwork. The lulling rhythm of it all almost made her forget the crushing blow that she'd received that morning. She would have continued working were it not for the fact that she hadn't eaten all daymaking itself known. Noting that Scotty seemed to have reached a break in his own work, Lilly figured that now was as good a time as any for a break.

"Hey, Scotty. You feel like grabbing some lunch before we go any further?"

Scotty glanced at his watch. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready. I have to wait on a phone call."

Before Lilly could go back to her own paperwork, a commotion coming from the front of the office caught her attention. It was a delivery man, his arms full with what appeared to be a floral arrangement wrapped in white paper to keep out the cold.

"I've got a delivery for Lilly Rush that I need someone to sign for."

All eyes were on her as she went to sign for the delivery. Lilly could practically feel the heat of the blush that turned her face a brilliant red as she faced the scrutiny of an entire roomful of detectives. It was times like these that she cursed her naturally pale complexion.

Vera smirked as she passed him, her arms loaded down with flowers. "Lilly's got a boyfriend."

She managed to free up one hand and Vera just laughed when he caught sight of the obscene gesture that Lilly sent in his direction.

She set her burden down in the center of her desk, pulling back the paper to finally get a glimpse of what it contained. For the second time in two days, Lilly felt the sting of tears burning behind her eyes. It was gorgeous, an arrangement of the most lush, most perfect red roses she'd ever seen, their color glowing against the deep, shimmering green of the holly leaves that surrounded them. And laced throughout it all were several pure white lilies.

It wasn't just the beauty of the gift that struck her heart and battered at her emotions. For Lilly, there was a much deeper meaning. She'd never received flowers before, had never really thought of what she was missing until the moment that all that changed. The feeling that she'd experienced earlier, of being cherished and cared for, returned full force, leaving behind a warm glow in place of the bitter resignation that had taken hold.

Scotty suddenly appeared at her side and Lilly realized that she hadn't even noticed that he'dleft his desk.

"Nice flowers. I took care of the call, so if you're still ready?"

Lilly smiled, feeling happier than she could ever remember. "Lead the way."

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They'd decided to walk to a nearby café and Lilly had quickly begun to regret the decision. While Scotty was fully bundled in a coat, scarf, hat and gloves, Lilly herself had only her coat for protection since she'd been in too much of a hurry that morning to grab anything else. Rather than complain, she tried to make due, jamming her frozen hands in her pockets and doing her best to ignore the frigid wind that blew down the back of her neck.

An involuntary shiver that caused her teeth to chatter drew Scotty's attention in Lilly's direction. He frowned when he noticed the way she was huddled in her coat, trying desperately to conserve what little bit of heat she could find.

"What are you thinking? It's like 10 degrees out here. You're gonna freeze to death. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing Lilly to stop with him. "The gloves would be too big for you but here, take my scarf."

Lilly shook her head, never taking her hands out of her pockets. "Quit playing around. I'm not taking your scarf, so let's just go, alright?"

Scotty continued to unwrap the scarf from around his neck, completely ignoring her protests. "Why don't you quit arguing and just take it. Then we'll go."

As he spoke, hebegan to wind the scarf around her neck himself, standing close enough that she could feel the heat of his body as he pulled it up around her chin. Very gently, he pulled her hair from beneath her collar, being careful to keep from snagging a single, silken strand. As he did, Lilly felt the brush of his fingertips, lightly calloused and a little rough, brush down the side of her neck.

Lilly drew in her breath, shocked at the sparks of sensation that shot down her spine as a result of the simple, careless touch. When she looked up, caught his eyes with her own, she realized that Scotty had just shared in the same experience. They were standing so close now, frozen in the moment, that Lilly could feel his breath on her lips.

And then a passerby bumped into Scotty, mumbling an apology as he went, and they sprang apart breath rushing and hearts pounding as though they'd just finished a race. Scotty shook himself visibly, clearing his throat before trying to speak.

"You ready to go get something to eat?"

Lilly just nodded, still incapable of speech. With every breath she took, she inhaled the clean, woodsy scent of his cologne. Just when she thought things were as complicated as they could get, this had to happen.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I just wanted to apologize to everyone. Real life has gotten the better of me, so this chapters a little short. Also,I had hoped to get the last chapter of this story up before Christmas, but since I'm leaving tomorrow it's looking like I won't be able to make it. I promise, though, it will go up the minute that I get a chance. Happy Holidays!

_Day Four, December 22_

After the events of the previous day, Lilly wasn't sure what to expect when she got to the office the following morning. Once again, she felt a thrill of excitement at the thought of what surprises might await her but, for the first time since the whole thing had begun, she was also a bundle of nerves. Every time she thought about the new situation that seemed to be arising with Scotty, her stomach turned into a mass of knots and her heart beat so hard that she could hear the thud of it echoing in her ears.

Lilly couldn't help the deep sigh of relief she released when she saw that, even though Scotty had beat her to work, he wasn't at his desk when she got there. While the rest of the day had passed with relatively little awkwardness after their shared moment on the sidewalk, she was still nervous. Lilly had never before thought of Scotty as anything other than a friend and partner, but now she couldn't seem to think of anything else.

Even though they'd had their problems, she didn't want to do anything that would risk the relationship that they's built for themselves. The consequences that might come from changing any element of that relationship terrified and intrigued her at the same time. Lilly had found herself on shaky new ground and she had no idea how she was going to keep herself from falling.

As she opened her bottom drawer to lock away her purse for the day, the light glinting off of metallic green paper caught her eye. Running her fingers over the slick wrapping, a slow grin spread across her face. It didn't surprise Lilly that her admirer had broken into her desk to hide his latest gift. Most of the people she worked with tended to ignore the basic rules of personal space and it would have surprised her more if he hadn't.

She peeled back the paper, revealing a small box marked with the name of a store that Lilly knew specialized in high quality vintage jewelry. Nothing that came out of that store would be cheap, and she couldn't imagine anyone going to such great expense just in the hopes of making her happy. It was too much and she was almost afraid to find out what was inside.

Drawing a deep breath, Lilly removed the lid. She let out a gasp, the breath she'd just taken leaving her in a rush when she saw it there, resting on a bed of black velvet. It was a hair clip, but like none she'd ever seen before. Lilly could tell it was old, but couldn't say in what year it might have been made. All glittering red and clear stones, it's clean lines and unpretentious design suited her personal style perfectly. For her own peace of mind, she preferred not knowing whether or not the stones were real. It was utterly beautiful and she could tell that great thought had been put into choosing something that wasn't so personal that she would reject it.

Lilly had been so dazzled by her first glimpse of the gift that she hadn't noticed the small note tucked beneath the clip. Smoothing out the folds in the paper, she began to read, wondering what clues might be revealed in his words.

_Lilly,_

_The time for secrets has almost come to an end. If you want to know who I am, wear the clip to the Christmas party. It will be the signal for me to reveal myself to you. I hope that you will. From the moment I saw it I knew that it was made for you, and I've been imagining it in your hair ever since. But if you don't I'll understand and all of this can remain a mystery._

Lilly knew instantly what she was going to do, if for no other reason than to preserve her sanity. There was no way that she could go the rest of her life without discovering the identity of her Secret Santa. Whoever it was had planned everything out perfectly, down to the last detail, and she wasn't about to disappoint him.

In 24 hours time, the mystery would finally be solved.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Just wanted to apologize to everyone for the delay in getting this up. I came back from my Christmas vacation and ended up with the flu. However, things are back on track now, so the final chapter should be going up relatively shortly. Just look at this most recent chapter as the bridge that leads to all the good stuff coming up and your patience will be rewarded. Trust me when I tell you that the final chapter is coming.

_The Final Day, December 23, 45 minutes until the party begins._

As Lilly stood in front of her mirror, she barely recognized the image that was reflected back at her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd taken such care with her appearance if, in fact, she ever had. The city's annual Christmas party had always been a formal affair, but never before had she put so much effort into looking her best. It had been more than two hours since she'd started getting ready, fussing with every detail to ensure that everything would be perfect.

She'd pulled her hair up and taken it down at least a dozen times before finally settling on a sleek knot with a few strands pulled free to frame her face. Her usual casually messy updo or simple loose fall just wouldn't do for something as important as what she would be facing that evening. The smoky eyes and glossy crimson lips were also a far cry from her everyday appearance. The biggest change of all, though, had to be the dress.

She'd found it weeks earlier, well before her mysterious admirer had come along, on one of her lunch hour trips to finish her Christmas shopping. The dress had practically called to her from the rack, leaving her a little dazzled and completely unable to walk away. Lilly had never laid eyes on a more perfect piece of clothing in her life and, when she tried it on, she'd known instantly that it was meant to be hers.

The deep ruby of the fabric gleamed under the lights, making her skin seem delicate and luminous, rather than simply pale, and her blue eyes glow as though they'd been lit from within. The bodice clung to every curve before flaring into a full skirt that ended just below her knees. While the simple halter neckline showed more skin than Lilly was used to revealing, leaving her arms, shoulders, and a great deal of her back bare, the overall effect was glamorous, graceful, and a little bit seductive. It was a great departure from her normal attraction to neutral, muted colors and, while she had known that it would be bound to draw attention, neither that nor the beating that her credit card had taken had been enough to deter her from buying it.

What worried her the most, though, was her ability to remain on her feet for an entire evening in the shoes that she had chosen to wear with the dress. A pair of sandals made up of delicate silver straps with shimmering, gossamer ribbons that tied at her ankles, they were the highest heels that Lilly had ever placed on her feet. They were amazingly uncomfortable and, when she walked, threw a sensual sway into her hips that Lilly was certain hadn't been there before. However, as she studied her image in the mirror, she had to admit that any discomfort was entirely worth it when they allowed her to fake the confidence that she knew her walk would be lacking once the butterflies that were currently fluttering in her stomach took flight.

As the final touch, Lilly retrieved the jeweled clip from it's box. She was wearing no other jewelry, nothing that might distract from the beauty of the clip that was to be her only adornment. Looking at it now, she realized just how closely the red of the gems matched the color of her dress. Her admirer must have caught a glimpse of it the afternoon that she'd bought it and brought it back to the office. The dress had been wrapped in a garment bag, but enough of the hem had been revealed to give away it's color. He'd obviously seen it and made his purchase accordingly.

It was an incredibly thoughtful gesture and the results had been beautiful. The only thing that Lilly couldn't understand was why she was suddenly hesitating to put the clip in her hair. She'd spent the last week obsessing over who had been sending her the gifts. Every spare second had been spent in thought and now, when she was finally just minutes away from discovering his identity, she was no longer certain that she wanted to know.

Her problems had begun the day that Scotty had given her his scarf and the volatile chemistry that had always existed between them had ignited with a startling heat. Now, every time she tried to imagine who the Secret Santa might be, who she really hoped he might be, there was only one face that came to mind. Whenever she closed her eyes Lilly saw her partner's face, but she knew that it couldn't be him. The incident that had been haunting her thoughts had been, as far as she could tell, nothing more than a momentary lapse for Scotty.

Her resolve renewed, Lillyfirmly anchored the clip in her hair. She owed it to herself to finally lay her curiosity to rest and, at the very least, she owed her Santa a thank you for all of his trouble. Anything that happened after that, she was willing to leave up to fate.


End file.
